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COL. MATT J. WINN IN NEW YORK. Enthusiastic Over Prospects for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Racing — Facts About Juarez. New York. February 14. — Col. Matt J. Winn is a recent arrival here from his home iu Louisville. Manager Winn was enthusiastic over the prospects for Kent ti ky racing, while regretting the unfavorable conditions that necessitated calling off the Juarez meeting. "Every indication is that we are going to an one of the greatest Derbys ever run in Kentucky." said the colonel down at the Waldorf. "While, naturally, we would have been glad to have had Mr. Belmont enter Hoiirless. and Mr. Wilson Camp-fire, thus making it a dean sweep of all the stars of this country, there still is good lass enough and a plenty to make it one of the grandest races, if not the greatest of the coming season iu the United States. "There will be added interest in this years Derby because of the fact that there are so many colts of fagelgB breeding entered. A third of the seventy-five entered were bred on the other side of the At lantic. and naturally the Kentuckians and the eoun try at large are Interested to know whether one of our own breedlag cannot win over the invaders. With 115,000 added money, it will be one of the richest stakes of the year to the winner, as the entry lees will bring it up above JJS20.000 in value. It is our opinion that while more entries might have been had through an earlier dosing of the stake, that by waiting until this later date for the losing, we hive been able to attract a much better class entry. The stake will be widl enough worth while as it is. and seventy-five seem to be enough to have entered for any stake, just a little more than four months from the running. "As for Juarez." said colonel Winn, "we are not discouraged over this seasons early closing of the winter meeting. Inder the adverse conditions under which we started the season. I knew at the start that we never would be able to race one hundred days. There were only two hundred horses on the track, and early in the season I suggested to the horsemen that it might be wise to have only four days of racing each week. They were of the opinion, however, that they would rather have six days of racing and a shorter season and lose earlier. The result was tiiat we had the same horses running day after day. with small fields in each race, and short prices in the mutuel machines. Short distance races were put on the cards, so that instead of working their horses the horsemen simply allowed them to run every day. Even with the Mexican disturbances ami the other drawbacks, we would have gone on further, but for the fever scare tiiat made further racing impossible. Horses Still at Juarez Track. "There are fifty or sixty horses left at the traek in condition to race, and so far as the horsemt n are concerned, they were all satisfied. The purses wt re fairly well distributed, and the rank and file fared better than in previous years, when so many left owing the association money. Some of the horsemen asked if they Bftight run a few matinees on afternoons until time to ship to Hot Springs. and I consented and left Harry Breivogel to see to this. I had a wire from him today saying that there was a good crowd out for the races there Sunday afternoon." In speaking of the future for Juarez colonel Winn said that he was in favor of two meetings of thirty days each next season, instead of one long meeting. He has hopes of a racing bill being passed in Texas that will permit of a circuit in that section of the country. "We will open next season." he said, "directly after the dose of the Kentucky racing and continue until the opening at New Orleans. Then we could have another meeting of twenty-five or thirty days before the spring season opens. We expect that conditions will be more settled in Mexico in another year, and at any rate there will be continued racing each winter at Juarez luring the life of the twenty-year concession we have from the Mexican government. El Paso is a rapidly and steadily growing city, and the city alone will support a race meeting at any time of reasonable duration."
